Indiana softball beat Kent State University 14-11 Wednesday afternoon in its first game back at Andy Mohr Field in four weeks.
Indiana got on the board first with an RBI single during the bottom of the first inning from senior designated hitter Brittany Ford. In the bottom of the third inning, sophomore second baseman Cora Bassett hit a two-run home run to make it a 3-0 game. In the same inning, freshman pitcher and third baseman Brianna Copeland hit a home run to extend the lead 4-0.
Kent State senior first baseman Chloe Cruz brought in one run in the top of the fourth inning to put the first run on the board for Kent State to make the score 4-1. However, Indiana responded with RBIs from Bassett and freshman right fielder Kinsey Mitchell.
Kent State senior second baseman Sabrina Kirschner and sophomore pinch hitter Alex Fiske each brought in runs to cut the lead 6-3. However, Copeland hit another home run in the seventh inning and her teammate freshman first baseman Sarah Stone obtained her first RBI of the game to extend Indiana’s lead to 8-3.
The Hoosiers’ defense was unable to finish the game during the top of the seventh, allowing five runs from the Golden Flashes to tie the game and force the game to extra innings.
“We were just here,” head coach Shonda Stanton said. “If we can put 17 runs up against Ohio State, you can’t tell me we can’t put up a crooked number in this inning?”
Stanton looked back to Indiana’s past weekend series as proof Indiana could come back from any deficit when the team lost its first game to Ohio State, then battled back and won the second game of the series 17-5.
No one scored until the top of the ninth inning when Kent State freshman catcher Jalynn Young hit a two-run home run to give the Golden Flashes an 11-8 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, sophomore center fielder Aaliyah Andrews hit a game-tying three-run home run to tie the game once again at 11-11.
Copeland hit another three-run home run to walk off the game with a final score of 14-11.
“Lock and loaded,” Copeland said about her thought process while at the plate. “We did not quit.”
Indiana heads to Madison, Wisconsin, to take on Wisconsin on April 1-3 for a three-game series.
